Disney’s “Black Widow” decision is a huge blow to a desperate theater industry
Things were looking good for movie theaters. The vaccine rollout in the US was speeding up, cinemas were finally reopening in major markets like New York and Los Angeles, and Hollywood studios were...
View Article“Godzilla vs. Kong” proves the world wants to go back to the movies
All it took was a reptilian sea monster and a giant ape to bring crowds back to the movies.Godzilla vs. Kong, the fourth film in Legendary Pictures’ “MonsterVerse,” generated $122 million in box...
View ArticleThe first movie based on a viral Twitter thread now has a trailer
Five and a half years ago, a young woman’s bizarre account of her encounter with the Tampa, Florida sex trafficking underworld went viral on Twitter. It drew the attention of celebrities and prompted a...
View ArticleNobody has heard of this year’s Oscar best picture nominees
If a film is nominated for an Oscar, but isn’t seen in theaters, does it make a sound? A recent survey says no, not really.A survey of 1,500 active US entertainment consumers by the Hollywood research...
View ArticleWhy Hollywood keeps enabling abusive movie moguls, even after #MeToo
Staplers. Glass bowls. A baked potato.These are just some of the objects that Scott Rudin, a prolific film and theater producer, has been accused of throwing at or in the direction of his employees,...
View ArticleWho will step in to save LA’s most beloved movie theaters?
The most beloved movie theaters in Los Angeles are closing. Now cinephiles in the movie-obsessed city are shining a Bat-Signal into the sky, hoping a deep-pocketed company (or individual) will swoop in...
View ArticleDisney loves filming in Georgia—and that’s suddenly becoming a problem
Yesterday, dozens of entertainment companies and Hollywood celebrities—including Netflix, ViacomCBS, J.J. Abrams, and Leonardo DiCaprio—signed an open letter condemning Georgia’s new restrictive voting...
View ArticleMGM hopes for a James Bond rescue with “No Time to Die”
MGM reportedly has big-budget dreams for a possible in-person premiere for its James Bond film, No Time to Die. If proven true, the news could be one indication that studios are ready to hedge their...
View ArticleGet ready for the weirdest Oscars ever
The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences has realized the only way to properly honor a very abnormal year for movies is to put on an equally abnormal award show. The result is sure to be unlike...
View ArticleThe Oscars failed its one job: to make viewers interested in the movies
After a year in which hardly anyone went to the movies, the Oscars made a perplexing decision to not show off its nominated films and performers. It was the award show’s biggest blunder in recent...
View ArticleOscar-winning “My Octopus Teacher” is a complicated success for South Africa
The Best Documentary Feature gong for My Octopus Teacher at this year’s Academy Awards has been seen by many critics as the type of underdog story Oscar loves. The film, directed by Pippa Erlich and...
View ArticleHollywood studios are making their plea to get you back in theaters
As the calendar turns toward the summer months, Hollywood really needs you to remember that movie theaters still exist.Many of the major US film studios, including Disney, Universal, and Warner Bros.,...
View ArticleThe pandemic is giving Netflix its long-awaited chance to be in movie theaters
At least one major theater chain has finally warmed up to the idea of giving Netflix movies a wide release.Cinemark, the third biggest cinema operator in the United States, will show Netflix’s upcoming...
View ArticleMoviegoers are back—and they’re devouring popcorn at record rates
What are consumers seeking when they head back to movie theaters after a year’s absence? “The whole enchilada,” Adam Aron, the CEO of AMC Entertainment, said on the theater company’s earnings call...
View ArticleChance the Rapper’s deal with AMC previews the future of movie theaters
Movie theaters aren’t usually where you go to watch concerts. But, in the future, they might need to be.Grammy-winning musician Chance the Rapper will release a concert film exclusively in AMC theaters...
View ArticleNetflix is wielding its growing Hollywood influence to reform the Golden Globes
A few years ago, Netflix was still struggling to be accepted by Hollywood’s parochial institutions. Now the streaming company is leading the overdue charge to reform them.Ted Sarandos, Netflix’s co-CEO...
View ArticleThe Rock accounts for a third of Hollywood’s lead roles for Asians and...
Hollywood movies don’t feature many Asian or Pacific Islander actors in significant roles. When they do, it’s usually The Rock.Of the 1,300 highest-grossing films from 2007 to 2019, just 44 had Asian...
View ArticleAmazon’s MGM deal could elevate—or ruin—a historic film catalog
In the clearest example yet of Hollywood’s legacy institutions being swallowed up by Big Tech and media giants, MGM’s historic film franchises like James Bond, Pink Panther, and Rocky will now live on...
View ArticleDisney and Cartoon Network are finally embracing African animation
This month has been a significant one for Africa’s animation industry, as major content platforms in the US announced they are picking up four productions by local cartoon creators.First came the news...
View ArticleWhy is Netflix still feuding with Cannes?
After taking a year off due to the pandemic, the Cannes Film Festival is back this week—though much has changed. Attendees are spitting into tubes to be tested for Covid-19. Several of the festival’s...
View Article“Black Widow” will prove once again nothing can fill theaters like a Marvel...
As one of the clearest examples yet that the Marvel brand is a one-of-a-kind draw to movie theaters, Black Widow appears poised to not only dominate the box office this weekend, but also outperform...
View ArticleThe success of “Black Widow” shows theaters and streaming can coexist
Streaming does not spell the death of movie theaters.Black Widow, the first Marvel movie since 2019, generated $80 million at the US box office this weekend—despite a simultaneous release on Disney’s...
View ArticleWho could buy the film studio behind “Moonlight” and “Lady Bird”?
The pending Amazon-MGM and WarnerMedia-Discovery deals have set off another round of speculation about media consolidation, as tech companies and Hollywood studios look to bolster their libraries with...
View ArticleIs complaining about your colleagues a fireable offense? Netflix says yes
Even if you generally like the people you work with, it’s only natural to complain about them. Maybe you have a teammate with a habit of snapping at you when they’re stressed, or the company leadership...
View ArticleThe highest-grossing film in South Korea this year is a true story set in...
A new South Korean film set during the Somali civil war in 1991 is the highest-grossing film in the Asian country so far this year.With $26.9 million in ticket sales, Escape from Mogadishu has raked in...
View ArticleKenya has banned a documentary for portraying a same-sex relationship
Kenya has banned a documentary film about a gay relationship, saying it promotes same-sex marriage, in a country where gay sex is outlawed.Describing the film, I am Samuel, as “an affront” to the...
View ArticleA looming strike could cost Hollywood more than the pandemic lockdowns
Hollywood film and television studios are facing a strike by the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE), which could bring a halt to a wide array of theatrical and streaming...
View ArticleA new Showmax documentary dispels myths about traveling around Africa
Twenty-year-old Othmane Zolati left his home country, Morocco, in 2015 with $80, a backpack, and a pocket camera. After going through 18,000 miles and 24 countries in almost four years, he got to Cape...
View ArticleNetflix has a plan to prove Quibi wasn’t wrong
The fall of Quibi has been framed as a cautionary Hollywood tale of an ambitious startup trying to be a bit too clever on its path to capturing mobile viewers. But a new initiative from Netflix may...
View ArticleCan Hollywood win back the global box-office crown from China?
The worst of the pandemic and its lockdowns appear to be over for Hollywood as many movie theaters in the US and Canada are open for business again. “The industry’s box office has been meaningfully...
View ArticleSony’s ‘Ghostbusters’ success shows a theater-only strategy can work
The pandemic and its logistical hurdles are still shadowing the results of Hollywood’s theatrical releases, but a recent box office win suggests the industry is entering a new phase. This weekend,...
View ArticleAudiences are tiring of superhero movies. Will Hollywood care?
Since 2008, Hollywood has been riding the superhero box office momentum kicked off by Iron Man, the start of what we know as the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). But more than a decade later, all the...
View ArticlePeloton doesn’t care about your TV spoilers, and neither does social media
Warning: Spoilers ahead for, well, many things.Peloton has set a new record for closing the unofficial grace period film and TV fans generally get before they’re expected to be up to date on their...
View ArticleNetflix is slashing its prices in India
As Netflix face slowing growth and increased streaming competition in the US, the company is looking to invigorate its growth overseas. This week, Netflix dropped the price of its basic plan in India...
View ArticleThe “West Side Story” flop is not the fault of the pandemic
The release of director Steven Spielberg’s remake of West Side Story was supposed to be one of the biggest movie events of the year. But even positive reviews from critics couldn’t save the film from a...
View ArticleSpider-Man’s box office triumph has a message for Marvel
Just when it seemed like superhero movies might be on the downswing, Spider-Man: No Way Home logged the second-highest opening weekend box office in movie history. The film raked in $260 million this...
View ArticleThe real enemy in “Don’t Look Up” is Big Tech
The 2021 doomsday satire Don’t Look Up was the most-watched film on Netflix for December. With an all-star cast including Leonardo DiCaprio, Cate Blanchett, Meryl Streep, and Jennifer Lawrence, the...
View ArticleIMAX is weathering the pandemic better than most of Hollywood
IMAX just had one of its best holiday season performances in years. Despite the growth of at-home streaming and covid-19 hurdles, the premium theatrical experience company managed to gross $277 million...
View ArticleHollywood is using Super Bowl trailer ads to lure fans back to the movies
Super Bowl LVI is expected to draw its most viewers ever, at around 117 million, and Hollywood studios are primed to pay up to get their marketing messages to them.Back in 2020, the $5.7 million Super...
View ArticleHollywood studios are postponing movie releases in Russia over the war in...
Major Hollywood film studios are pausing major movie releases in Russia in light of the conflict in Ukraine.“Given the unprovoked invasion of Ukraine and the tragic humanitarian crisis, we are pausing...
View ArticleRobert Pattinson’s emo Batman had the biggest opening in Bat history
Robert Pattinson’s version of DC Comics’ caped crusader, The Batman, just logged the most successful opening weekend of all the first installments in the Batman series of films.The Dark Knight and The...
View ArticleAmazon’s MGM purchase opens TV universes for James Bond and Hannibal
With the purchase of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios (MGM), Amazon has instantly been transformed from a still emerging player to a bonafide major cog in the Hollywood engine. And while the $8.5 billion...
View ArticleAmazon’s MGM purchase made it one of the biggest Oscar contenders overnight
The competitive streaming landscape has been transformed in just the last few weeks, and those changes will be on display at the Academy Awards on March 27.Amazon’s acquisition of MGM and its Amazon...
View ArticleWhy Star Wars Day is the most successful fake holiday
Today is Star Wars Day, also known as “May the fourth be with you” day, an annual celebration of all things Star Wars that plays on the space opera’s famous Jedi phrase, “May the force be with you,” as...
View ArticleIs “Avatar 2” an act of brilliance or hubris?
The teaser trailer for Avatar: The Way of Water, or Avatar 2, has already drawn over 12 million views on YouTube ahead of the film’s release in December. It’s been almost 13 years since the first film...
View ArticleRedbox is the dumbest meme stock yet
Just outside the doors of my local CVS, along an industrial road in Ann Arbor, Michigan, there’s a Redbox. I only ever notice its red glow on dark Michigan nights when I walk into the convenience store...
View ArticleAfter Maverick’s success, get ready for the “Top Gun universe”
This weekend, Top Gun: Maverick became the highest earning film of 2022, surpassing Marvel’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Surprisingly, given Tom Cruise’s long list of past successes,...
View Article“Minions 2” broke a box office record with help from nostalgia-driven Gen Z...
Minions: The Rise of Gru (Minions 2), Universal Pictures’ latest entry in the Despicable Me franchise, is the most successful July 4th movie opening ever, after bringing in over $125 million in the US...
View ArticleWhy Hollywood’s obsession with the 1980s should fastforward to the 1990s
The success of the Netflix hit Stranger Things, and the old school music driving its story, is just the latest example of a wave of 1980s-themed content that has taken over the film and television...
View ArticleIs Netflix’s best hope an acquisition by Microsoft?
Underpromise and overdeliver appears to have worked this week for Netflix. Its share price is up 11% since July 19, when its second-quarter earnings report was released. Revenue growth slowed way down,...
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